The start of the school year is a more meaningful "new year" than Jan. 1 for me.
Ever since I started school, the end of summer marked the end of a "year." Even the years before I started working for a school district (meaning my work year matches the school year, even though I don't actually get summers off), the start of fall marked the start of a new "year."
I feel like this is true for a lot of people, especially if they have children.